Sheriff investigating homicide after late-night shooting in Lathrop

LATHROP – The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide after two men were found suffering from gunshot wounds Thursday night in front of a home in Lathrop, authorities said.

The Record

LATHROP – The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide after two men were found suffering from gunshot wounds Thursday night in front of a home in Lathrop, authorities said.

Lathrop Police Services deputies were dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of Reiger Drive in Lathrop about 10 p.m. on a report of a person shot in the front yard, officials said. When they arrived, deputies located two gunshot victims.

Dashawn Lamont Johns, 19, was found in the passenger’s seat of a vehicle that was parked on the lawn, authorities said. The other, identified only as a 23-year-old black man, was found lying next to the front door of the home after managing to exit the vehicle and make his way toward the house to seek help.

Johns was flown to a Modesto hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

The other victim was taken to a local hospital, where he is in the Intensive Care Unit in unknown condition. While being transported to the hospital, he told deputies he and Johns were being chased by a black van before the shooting occurred, authorities said.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office have taken over the case. They have yet to establish a motive for the shooting and no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (209) 468-4400. Cell phone users can text a tip to CRIMES (274637) by entering the keyword “SJSO” followed by their tip.

Read Saturday’s Record for more on this story by staff writer Jason Anderson.